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About Mainz
Where the Rhine and Main Rivers meet, Mainz has stood proudly as a trade city since its initial founding by Romans in the 1C BC.
The city of Mainz, the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatine, has many crowns and is known by its German name: Rheinland-Pfalz, dating back to the Roman period in 13 BC.
In the first and second centuries AD, a military base was established by the Roman Empire at a strategic point along the Rivers Main and the Rhine. As a result, the city grew as the impressive presence of Roman units attracted merchants and service providers and the city prospered. There is much evidence today in the various archeological sites.
The Roman Catholic Mainz Cathedral aka St. Martin's Cathedral, near the market square and historical center of Mainz, is over 1000-years-old. It was built, burned down and reconstructed a few times but eventually was completed in the Romanesque-Gothic style. It is indeed the most iconic and recognized landmark in all of Mainz. Housed in the Cathedral Museum – the Diocesan Museum (Diozesan Museum) are many sacred artworks from the 8th and 9th centuries all the way to this century, with the emphasis on the Middle ages. The treasures include, paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts and much more.
Secret: Did you know that the number “7” is a special number for the cathedral: There were seven fires that destroyed the cathedral and seven coronations crowning 7 kings.
Walking along the cobbled alleyways of the Old town (Mainz Altstadt) will take you back a couple of thousand years many of the quaint half-timbered houses are originals! Meander along the streets passing shops, an cafes and in particular note the beautiful St. Augustin Church,
In 1436 the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz and a museum celebrating the history of the printing press can be found in Gutenberg Museum in the old town near the Cathedral. About twenty years later they printed the first Bible of which there are two on exhibit in this museum.
Originally built in 990, the current St. Stephan Church is mostly from the late medieval era. It is an impressive Gothic-style church with courtyards from the same era. However, the church is mostly known for Marc Chagall’s nine luminous blue stained-glass windows. Depicting figures from the Old Testimony, he worked on them for close to ten years (from 1978-1985 when he passed away).
Mainz is the largest wine-producing area of Germany and is called the Germany’s wine capital, with a wide variety of vineyards (many having come from the Roman period) producing local wines. The German Wine Institute initiates a popular annual wine festival towards the end of the summer.
Talk about “festivals” – if you are in Mainz before Easter then try to co-ordinate your visit with The Rhineland Carnival (the three biggest and most famous being held in Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz) lasting one week before Lent (Shrovetide) and ends with Ash Wednesday. So get ready to enjoy the music and dancing and parades and parties.
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Attractions in Mainz
- St. Martin Cathedral, Mainz
- St. Stephan Church, Mainz
- Historic Center, Mainz
- Gutenberg Museum, Mainz
Mainz events and occasions
Most Popular Events in Mainz, 2025-2026
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